Letters: Gun industry supports laws against straw purchases

We take exception to the mischaracterization of the firearms industry's position on straw purchases in your editorial, "GOP foolishly defends gun sellers' greed," which asserts that this issue is "?about sales. And money." In truth, the National Shooting Sports Foundation and our member companies have been leading the charge against straw purchases for years, including in Detroit.

It is already illegal to buy a gun for someone who can't legally buy a gun for themselves; you could get up to ten years in jail and be fined as much as $250,000 dollars. The problem is that straw purchasers are rarely severely punished. According to a 2012 report to the Department of Justice, more than 72,000 people were denied a gun purchase in 2010 because they failed the background check. In the end, only 13 were successfully prosecuted. Vice President Joe Biden himself declared "we simply don't have the time or manpower to prosecute everybody who lies on a form, that checks a wrong box, that answers a question inaccurately," regarding the lack of prosecutions for lying on the federal gun purchase form.

Meanwhile, over a dozen years ago NSSF partnered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to reduce straw purchases by launching a comprehensive education campaign, called "Don't Lie For The Other Guy." This campaign, funded by our member companies, has spent almost $6 million in over 35 cities, including Detroit.

Firearms retailers receive a free kit to train personnel on how to detect and deter straw purchases. The kit includes point-of-sale materials to warn consumers about straw purchases and the penalties associated with them, and guides for training employees. The program also involves public service announcements that it is a serious crime to illegally straw purchase a firearms. The bottom line of the campaign: "Purchase a gun for someone who can't, and buy yourself 10 years in jail." The gun industry has been united for many years in support of Don't Lie For The Other Guy and in the overall quest to eliminate straw purchases.

We welcome this conversation because legal, responsible gun makers, sellers and owners nationwide are committed to keeping our communities, and especially our children, safe. We wholeheartedly reject the assertion that gun sellers are complicit with straw purchasers, "know what's going on, but won't stand up for the law, or what's right." Nothing could be further from the truth, and your readers deserve the undeniable facts of this debate.

Think about the victims

I ask those 14 senators to try and visualize one of the Newtown 6-year-olds with 11 assault gunshots in their body, imagine how lucky they are, unlike the poor parent of this child, that it wasn't one of their kids or grandkids and look in the mirror and honestly say their opposition to any gun legislation is other than a political shameful gimmick. And to Sen. Ted Cruz, one of the 14 and former William Rhenquist clerk, claiming that assault weapons are part of the weapons described by Justice Scalia, i.e, those commonly owned by people for hunting and protection of self and home and within the protection of the Second Amendment is patently wrong. Even Joe Scarborough, a former Republican representative and conservative, has criticized Cruz for this comment and as to their threatened filibuster as remarked as how stupid can his party be. As to the NRA's arming schools, one of the Newtown first two responders has stated, because of how well the shooter was armed, they would have been among the killed had he not killed himself. So arming schools is not a viable option.

Jim Karavite

Royal Oak

Tell the truth about guns

Why is it you people can only print what you think the people want to hear. For once tell the truth about guns and why we the people believe in the second amendment remember tell the truth and only the truth. Just maybe you would sell more papers.

Lawrence Gryb

Madison Heights

Worried about taking guns away

I just read your front-page story about the three women killed by their exes. I reference another recent story about stores running out of ammo. These three men were obviously stressed out by Obama's incessant denials about gun confiscation only fan the fears of those who know he's just waiting for the right time.

If you want to kill your ex-wife or ex-girlfriend and you wait too long, you're going to have to use a knife. And after the stabbings at a Texas community college shows, it's a tough row to hoe. Fourteen people stabbed and none dead. No serious psycho is going to settle for that.

If our president would just fess up, our killers would know a bit more about how much time they had and wouldn't be so rushed. You know, I'm just saying.

Roger Blansit

Coldwater

Background checks just common sense

Pat Toomey said it right. "It's just common sense" when talking about background checks. The problem is the NRA and people who spout NRA rhetoric have none. At least not now. In the late '90s the NRA was actually for background checks. Will someone please tell me why they have changed their minds, because I have not heard one argument that makes any "sense" for not having universal background checks.

Adam Hoffman

Grand Blanc

Tell your elected officials where you stand

Americans agree on two things: You can own a gun (Second Amendment) and there are restrictions on this right (Supreme Court). What restrictions depends on where you are on gun safety. These are the main groups:

Gun-Free: This group does not own guns. They depend on strict laws, vigorously enforced to keep them safe. They make up about 200 million Americans.

Sports and Security: This group has guns for hunting, sport shooting and personal safety. They also support strict laws, vigorously enforced because this is the best way to stay safe and to ensure their continued freedom as gun owners. They make up about 100 million Americans.

The Fearful: This group has strong fears of the government taking away their guns or an intruder attacking them with a superior weapon. These fears are very important to this group and they are strongly against additional gun safety legislation. They are a minority of Americans.

Two questions remain: Which group do you belong to and have you told your state and federal representatives where you stand and where you want him/her to stand on gun safety legislation?

Mike Clement

Birmingham

Enforce existing gun laws

Expanding background checks to "universal background checks" sounds more like support for the federal, state and local governments to enforce the 20,000 gun laws they already have on the books. We already know that federal agencies do almost no follow-up on failed background checks. 70,000 felons were caught last year and the Obama administration has only prosecuted 44 of them.

Vice President Biden claims it's because they don't have the resources to do so. I don't believe that, but if Biden believes it then how will forcing people to involve gun dealers in transactions with family members and friends improve the situation?

There isn't any gap in the law - its lack of resources for enforcement of the laws on the books now, and perhaps lack of will. At the very least, we should at least enforce the laws we have before passing more laws that we won't enforce, either.

The National Rifle Association, its 5 million members, and millions of other law-abiding firearm-owning citizens who are supporting the NRA with monetary donations at this time, do not support legislation that would criminalize otherwise lawful transfers of firearms between law-abiding Americans.

As well, there has been purposeful misinformation fed to the public. The gun industry has stated clearly for many years that the background check fight is not high on its priority list because it has no effect on the commercial side of the industry. So, this is not their fight and never has been.

Kenneth F. Walendzik

Pontiac

Don't be silent on gun restrictions

In recent days, the gun control debate has been a hot topic. The Obama administration is making comments that the majority of the people support gun bans and stricter gun control laws. Who have they been talking to? Here, in Michigan, I know that is not the case.

We elected these officials to be our voice. We, the people, can no longer sit idly by and allow the federal government to destroy the foundation of America and then try to say it is what we the people want. It's time to use our voices. We, the people, can be silent no more.

If the federal government is permitted to put limitations on the Second Amendment, this only opens up the possibility of other rights to be infringed upon, opening the flood gates, so to speak. If the Second Amendment is picked apart then what comes next? The First Amendment? Do we put limits on which religions are acceptable? Do we put limits on what can be put down in the written word? Do we begin burning books that are deemed inappropriate by our government?

We have allowed the government more control little by little. Much more control than our forefathers ever intended. That little by little has grown immensely. we the people need to take our country back. WE THE PEOPLE hired these elected officials. WE the people need to fire the ones not doing their jobs. Last time I checked, their jobs were to be OUR voice. Are they being yours?

Joe Schumacher

Michigan 2A Advocates

Clinton Township

New gun laws won't do much

I abhor murder by any means, but passing another gun law that the government does not or cannot enforce will do little good. They cannot prevent murder, prevent illegal drug smuggling, prevent illegal immigration, etc., but they can spend an incredible amount of your money lining the pockets of special interests and bureaucrats by passing feel-good laws. We do not need more laws infringing on the Bill of Rights. What we need is less big government, which can do far more harm to you and yours than some screwed-up individual with a gun.

Albert Foster

Dearborn

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Letters: Gun industry supports laws against straw purchases

We take exception to the mischaracterization of the firearms industry's position on straw purchases in your editorial, 'GOP foolishly defends gun sellers' greed,' which asserts that this issue is '?